Former Location –
Caribou Ranch was a recording studio built by producer James William Guercio in 1972 in a converted barn on ranch property in the Rocky Mountains near Nederland, Colorado, on the road that leads to the ghost town of Caribou. The studio was in operation until it was damaged in a fire in March 1985.
The studio was quite productive: according to the website tied to the ranch, over its lifetime it served over 150 artists, producing more than 45 Top-10 albums, 18 Grammy Awards, and 20 Number-One Billboard hits. The first album recorded there was Barnstorm by Barnstorm / Joe Walsh (recorded March 1972).
In 2017, Caribou Ranch was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, celebrated as an “iconic destination recording studio.”
Notable Recordings Made At Caribou Include:
Chicago Albums I-XI by Chicago
Rock Of The Westies by Elton John
Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy by Elton John
Caribou by Elton John
Wired by Jeff Beck
Turnstiles by Billy Joel
Countdown To Ecstasy by Steely Dan
Even In The Quietest Moments by Supertramp
Wish You Were Here by Badfinger
Stills by Stephen Stills
Illegal Stills by Stephen Stills
Down The Road by Stephen Stills & Manassas
One Size Fits All by Frank Zappa And The Mothers of Invention
The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get by Joe Walsh
Spring Fever by Rick Derringer
Caribou Ranch Recording Studio
Nederland, CO
Hey! Do you know the exact address of this place, the caribou ranch? I am doing a research project and i cant seem to find it anywhere.
Rick Derringer’s All American Boy album was recorded here.
My father was part of the crew that built the studio. He cried when he heard it burned.
Alot of people left a piece of their heart there
Chicago 6 thru 11 were recorded here. The first five albums were recorded in NYC